My Prince
by delusional-lady
Summary: Nina Sakura will turn eighteen and soon she has to choose her prince. Who will she choose and how does this affect her friends?
1. A King's Sermon

My Prince  
  
written by: delusional_lady  
  
Chapter 1: A King's Sermon  
  
The palace garden was one of the best places to play in since there were a lot of hiding spots. It was also a good place to think or just get away from her royal duties. Sakura Kingdom's only princess, Nina Sakura, sat on the grass, admiring a beautiful white flower.  
  
"NINA!!" A loud voice boomed.  
  
Ther servants weren't surprised. They were already used to hearing the king bellow. They simply carried on with their work, dusting and cleaning..   
  
Nina sighed. Her grandfather was probably going to give her another lecture. What did she do wrong now? Getting up, she conjured up her loyal scooter and flew towards the throne room.   
  
Or tried to, at least.   
  
The king brought a hand to his eyes when his grandaughter entered through the open window, barely missing the potted plant, but completely destroying the oriental vases on the side.   
  
"Ahehehehe.." Nina chuckled with a sheepish look on her face. The servants hurried to clean the mess up. This was the third time this week. The princess should really avoid using her scooter inside the palace.   
  
The king waved his hand, signalling for the servants to leave them alone. As the door closed, he got down to business.   
  
"Nina, listen to me carefully. You're already grown up. Far from the little girl you used to be. I think it's about time you start acting more like a princess." He started.   
  
"What do you mean, ojiisan?" Nina asked, wondering what her grandfather was planning now.   
  
"The first thing would be to get you a personal companion, someone to assist you in everything." The king said, drumming his fingers on his lap. "She will be the one to help you groom yourself and teach you all the right etiquette."   
  
  
  
"Demo.. I don't need.." Nina burst out.   
  
Her grandfather raised a hand. "No buts. First thing tomorrow morning, I will get you a personal adviser."   
  
That was the final say. Nina knew she would have no other choice other than to comply with her grandfather's decision. Besides, her eighteenth birthday was drawing near. Was it really necessary for her grandfather to prepare her like this?   
  
"I should ask Maya-chan! Her birthday's coming up in a few weeks!" Nina said to herself. She flipped her persocon open and dialed the blonde princess' number.   
  
Shortly, an image of a robe-clad Maya appeared on screen.   
  
"Maya-chan!" Nina cried out.   
  
"Nina, what do you want?" The blonde asked. There was another person behind her and from the looks of it, she was brushing Maya's hair.   
  
"Is that your personal assistant?" Nina asked.   
  
Maya sighed and nodded her head. "Hai. Luna, this is Nina Sakura. A princess from another kingdom and one of my friends."   
  
A shy looking girl waved before her eyes suddenly drooped down and a black aura appeared before her. Nina sweatdropped, not understanding the sudden mood change of the girl. Maya sighed and waved her hand, motioning for the girl to stop brushing her hair.  
  
"Luna is always like that. It takes some time to get used to her." She remarked.   
  
Nina nodded her head sheepishly. "Anyway, the reason I called you up because I want to know what kind of preparations your father is doing for your eighteenth birthday. Ojjisan is acting funny and is always planning things.."   
  
Maya raised her eyebrows. "It's only natural for a princess to undergo these changes. You can't really stop them from coming. Has your grandfather hired an assistant for you yet?"   
  
Nod.  
  
"Good. Pretty soon, he'll be arranging your eighteenth ball and will push you to get married soon."   
  
Before Nina could react, Maya shut off her persocon, leaving the princess to confusion. Married?!   
  
++++  
  
The next morning, Nina woke up feeling a bit groggy. She had stayed up all night, trying to review some of her magic spells, hoping to raise her level. Rubbing her eyes, she found a breakfast tray already prepared at the foot of her bed.   
  
"Ohayo, hime-sama!" A calm voice greeted.  
  
Nina jumped and accidentally knocked the tray down. There was a stranger beside her bed!   
  
"Gomen ne.." Nina apologized as soon as she realized the mess she created. The girl shook her head and snapped her fingers. Almost instantly, two servants rushed in the room and cleaned up the ruined breakfast. Nina could only watch in amazement as her floor was clean once again.  
  
The girl smiled and did a curtsey. She had long, brown hair and had a pretty smile. "My name is Ayu. The king hired me to become your personal assistant." She introduced.  
  
Nina tilted her head. So this was her personal assistant? It was a good thing that she didn't get someone like Luna! The princess grinned and pulled off her blanket. She took Ayu's hand and led her out of the room.   
  
Ayu was surprised. Where was the princess taking her?   
  
"Hime-sama.."  
  
Nina winked at her. "Don't call me that. Nina is fine, Ayu-chan! Let's have breakfast by the garden! You'll love it there!" She cried out. Well, if that was what the princess wants.. Ayu shrugged her shoulders and ran along with the princess.   
  
Nina was right when she said that Ayu would love the garden. There were so many flowers that Ayu wondered if they were as countless as the stars in the sky. The princess was a lot of fun. She was funny and honest and they instantly clicked. What a difference from all the other snobbish royalty!   
  
"Ayu-chan, what happens when I turn eighteen?" Nina asked, fiddling with her silverware. The brunette wondered how she should break everything to her charge. There were a lot of changes when a princess enters eighteen. That would instantly give her the power to rule. She could become queen! Although Ayu wondered if Nina was ready for such a responsibility.. Then, there was the matter of choosing a suitable husband. Such a thing would not really matter since Ayu was already sure that the choice would not be Nina's but her grandfather's. Oh, such headache! She was glad she wasn't born a princess. But then again, if she was, then she would have a change to see him again..   
  
Nina stared at Ayu. She had suddenly drifted off into a day dream. "Oh well, it would be rude to interrupt her!" Nina said to herself so she busied herself by singing some of the songs she learned from some of the servants in the palace.   
  
Meanwhile, messengers from the Orihara kingdom were busy sending out invitations to their princess' eighteenth birthday celebration. It was such an important event and everybody was honored to have received an invitation. The princes in the other kingdoms were also preparing for that day. After all, it might be the day when they get chosen as a potential king.   
  
TBC... 


	2. Maya's Celebration

My Prince  
  
written by: delusionallady  
  
Chapter 2: Maya'c Celebration  
  
In the three short weeks that Ayu had gotten to know Nina, she was honestly glad that she wasn't assigned anywhere else. Nina was almost always well-behaved. Of course, she did cause a lot more damage than the average princess but the young beauty's heart more than made up for it.   
  
"Okay, Nina. Try the shoes once again." Ayu directed as her charge slipped on the pair of white heels. Nina took a deep breath and walked steadily forward.   
  
It was four in the afternoon and they were at the palace's ballroom. Ayu was busy helping Nina practice smooth and graceful strides with high heeled shoes. Granted, they have been practicing for more than two weeks and the princess was already getting the hang of it.   
  
"You can do it, Nina." Ayu encouraged her. Only a few hours remained before Maya Orihara's birthday ball. The princess had to look perfect by then since a lot of people were going to attend the gathering. Plus, a lot of princes were going to come as well and Nina had to look appealing to them.   
  
Opening her eyes, Nina looked around. She had crossed the entire floor without tripping! Her face brightened up and glowed with excitement.   
  
"Look, Ayu-chan! I finally did it without tripping or breaking anything!" Nina cried out in delight.   
  
Ayu grinned and scratched her head. Well, they were making progress. "Okay, Nina. Now we'll try it with the long dress on." She said.   
  
A few hours later, Nina had already passed Ayu's tests and now they were ready for the ball. Well..sort of..  
  
"NINA!"   
  
The servants weren't surprised. They were already used to hearing the king bellow.   
  
The king crossed his arms and tapped his foot impatiently. "Girls will always be girls!" He muttered. Upstairs, Ayu was busy trying to get Nina ready. They had done a little too much practicing and Nina was exhausted. She had left the young girl alone to dress herself but when she came back, she found the princess still in her robe, fast asleep on the bed.   
  
Because the princess was her top priority, Ayu had to forget about preparing herself for the evening.   
  
"Nina, hear, slip on these shoes!" Ayu cried out, frantically tossing the pair at her charge. Nina tried to slip them on while her right hand was busy fixing the ribbon in her hair and her left hand was busy putting on her necklace.   
  
"No! Don't wear that necklace! It doesn't match! Wear this diamond one!"   
  
"Ayu, I'm getting dizzy.."  
  
"You have the shoes on the wrong foot!"  
  
"NINA!! AYU!! HURRY UP!!"  
  
"Waah!!"  
  
Finally, after what seemed like eternity, Nina was ready to come down.   
  
The king gazed at her with pride and tears in his eyes.   
  
"Nina, you look beautiful." He remarked.   
  
Nina smiled. She was wearing a beautiful white off shoulder balloon gown and her hair was styled the usual way, except that she had white lace as ribbons. Behind her was a haggard looking Ayu.   
  
"Ayu, you look.." The king started, trying to find something complimentary.  
  
Ayu raised her hand. "Daijobou. I'll just catch up with you guys later."   
  
The king nodded his head and took his grandchild away. "Don't worry, Ayu! We'll send another coach for you!" Nina cried out as the carrage sped off.   
  
At the Orihara kingdom, a lot of guests had already arrived. From the peasants to the royalty. Maya gazed around and sighed. Her prince was still nowhere in sight. A lot of guys had already asked her for a dance but she refused each and every one of them. Clad in a beautiful black gown, Maya was a sight to behold. her long blonde hair flowed freely behind her back, contrasting with her dress.   
  
"Excuse me, may I have this dance?"   
  
Maya turned around and saw a familiar face. It was Yuta, one of her childhood friends. Maya took one last look at the guests before finally agreeing to the invitation. The orchestra played a lively tune and some of the guests also danced on the floor.   
  
"Seen your prince yet?" Yuta asked.  
  
"What are you talking about?"  
  
"You know what I mean."  
  
"Why don't you ask Nina to dance?" Maya asked, glancing at the girl's direction.  
  
Yuta smiled. "There's no reason to."  
  
"You're a very bad liar, Yuta."  
  
"So are you, Maya."   
  
And the song ended.   
  
Kaji Tetsushi looked around. The ball was as fancy as one could get but he was getting bored. He didn't have a lot of interest in attending these parties.. At the corner of his eye, he spotted an attractive girl with short blonde hair. She looked vaguely familiar.  
  
"Perhaps one of the princesses from a party or something.." Kaji mumbled, moving closer to get a better look. He stood in front of her and realized that she was fast asleep! It was unheard of for a princess to be sleeping at such a social event. He did one thing he never thought he'd be able to do tonight.   
  
He laughed.   
  
At first, it was a snicker.  
  
Then it became a chuckle.   
  
In the end, the young prince couldn't hold it anymore and let out a loud laugh.   
  
It woke the princess up.   
  
"Huh..?" Nina wondered, rubbing her eyes. Where was she?  
  
"You're at Maya Orihara's birthday celebration." Kaji answered.   
  
Nina gazed at the speaker and turned beet red. She had been caught dozing off! Oh well, at least it wasn't her grandfather.   
  
There was another thing that made Kaji laugh. He pointed at the small drool by her lips.   
  
Nina turned even redder. This was just too embarrassing!   
  
"Don't worry about it. I'll keep it a secret!" Kaji said with a wink. Nina grinned sheepishly.   
  
"Now then, would you like to dance my princess?" Kaji asked.   
  
Ayu hurried out of the carraige and tried to look as dignified as possible. After Nina and her grandfather left, she wasted no time and rushed to finish preparing herself.   
  
She had her hair up and on her neck was a string of pearls from her late mother. She wore a light blue dress that glittered like the stars.   
  
Entering the ballroom, her first instinct was to look for Nina. She found her immediately, dancing with a very handsome guy.   
  
Ayu paled.   
  
It was...HIM!  
  
The dancing couple looked so happy and comfortable with each other. Ayu brought a hand to her lips and backed away. Slowly, she retreated to the balcony where she found a handsome but smug looking man.   
  
"You're Nina Sakura's personal assistant, right?"   
  
Ayu looked up and saw the smug looking person looking straight at her. Ayu nodded her head slowly. The young man approached her and held out his hand. "Hi. My name is Yuta. And you are?"   
  
"A-Ayu." She answered, a bit taken by his straightforwardness.   
  
"Great. Shall we dance?"   
  
How could she refuse when he asked her so bluntly and quickly? Ayu soon found herself dancing with the man.   
  
"Er.. Maybe we could dance in the middle.." Ayu suggested when she found herself dancing too close to Nina and the prince.   
  
Yuta grinned and shrugged his shoulders. "Sure, why not?"   
  
By the end of the song, Ayu finally decided that she should just return home. This wasn't a place she should be at anyway. And what if he saw her?!   
  
Yuta noticed his partner's quick glances at the dancing couple somewhere to the right. It was interesting to find that her eyes always landed on him.   
  
"Well, I'll ask him about it later." He thought as he allowed Ayu to leave the floor.   
  
The night was young and the musicians were enthusiastic. They continued to play a merry tune until the princess of Orihara kingdom herself, asked for a speicific melody to be played.   
  
The orchestra was rather surprised that such a song should be played but it was their princess' request and they could do nothing to say no.   
  
The ballroom became quiet as a solemn tune reached the guests. It seemed like an appropriate theme for the main characters of the evening.   
  
Maya stood by the throne, watching the crowd. There was still no sign of her prince. Sure there were a lot of handsome men around but HER prince was not one of them. She had hoped to see him tonight.. Her father would be speaking to her about her future in a while and how could she make a decision? The man would throw a fit if she told him about the real reason why she was not able to choose a single man out from the eligible bachelors tonight.   
  
A long figure stood by the balcony. Ayu sighed as she looked up to the stars. Her wish had been granted. She had seen him again but...   
  
The image of Kaji and Nina dancing and laughing appeared in her mind again.   
  
"Baka Ayu.." She chastised herself. "What were you thinking? Were you hoping that he would actually remember you? That's stupid.. Really stupid."   
  
Yuta sat by the tree in the garden. In a few hours, the party would soon come to an end. For the meantime, he was content to stay up in the tree and doze off.   
  
"If I'm lucky, I might get a chance to dream about her.." He muttered. "Unlike Maya, I can't dream very well.."  
  
Back inside, Nina and Kaji were busy exchanging stories about their kingdoms. It seemed that they were the only ones truly enjoying the evening. Not even the debutant seemed happy. It couldn't be helped. Not all had happy endings..  
  
TBC... 


End file.
